Wall construction



Oct. 9, 1934. L. c. PlAzzA WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 4, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 9, 1934. 1 c. PIAZZA WALL CONSTRUCTION 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 4, 1930 Patented Oct. 9, 1934 UNTEo STATESWALL CONSTRUCTION Louis C. Piazza, Western Springs, lll., assigner toSoundex Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of IllinoisApplication December 4, 1930, Serial No. 499,922

8 Claims. (Cl. 'l2-19) This invention relates broadly to the applicationof exterior covering materials to a` room construction, and is moreparticularly concerned with a novel and improved wall and ceilingconstruction, that is to say, with a novel method and 'with novel meansfor attaching covering material to a wall or to a ceiling.

I employ as covering material a sound correcting substance, consistinggenerally of Wood libres 10 pressed in blocks or slabs and held togetherby suitablev adhesive binding substance. A block of such material may beproduced in any convenient size and then cut into slabs or plates ofsuitable smaller size for attachment to the ceiling or Wall in the novelmanner which is disclosed in the present invention.

It will be understood, of course, that the novel construction, which Ihave disclosed in the lnstant case in connection with a ceiling, is notlimited to the use of any particular sound correcting or sounddissipating substance or material,

or, in fact, to any particular substance or material. I have mentionedwood bres pressed in blocks or slabs of suitable size merely for thesake of convenient description. Any other suitable material or substancemay be employed and attached to the ceiling of a room in accordance withthe teachings of my invention, either for purely decorative purposes orfor correcting acoustics or both. It will likewise be understood that Ido not intend to limit the applicability of the invention strictly andliterally to the construction of ceilings. 'I'he basic principles mayalso be applied in the construction of walls if desired, or tostructuresresembling walls. f

The invention discloses, therefore, the broad principles of a novel andimproved method for attaching exteriorly exposed covering material towalls or ceilings inl an eilicient and economic 4 manner.

There are several methods known and practiced for attaching soundcorrectingmaterial to walls and to ceilings in order to Acorrect theacoustics of rooms. v,

For example, one method proposes to attach the material. by means oilplaster, thus mergingV the material with the underlying rigidb'uildingstructure. Another method provides ay felt padding between the soundcorrecting materlaland 'the wallor ceiling structure, 'securingthematerial by means of nails or screws, or otherwiseby means of someconvenient adhesive together with nails orscrews.`

Several objections maybe raisedas'to the deadening or sound correctingquality of such a structure made in the manner outlined above. The closeattachment of the sound correcting material to a wall or ceiling, as bymeans of plaster, diminishes its effect due to the rigid charac- 59 terof the underlying building structure. The mounting consumes considerabletime since it is not a purely mechanical process, but depends to a largeextent on the quality of the plaster or other binding material employed.Finishing work is necessary in order to remove undesirable traces ofplaster or binding material from crevicesof adjacent slabs of thecovering material. The structure is rigid and does not lend itselfreadily to changes or modifications vyhich might be desired.

The other method mentioned previously, which employs felt paddingbetween the ceiling or wall structurevand the exteriorly exposed soundcorrecting material, furnishes a. better acoustic effeet due to theintervening layer of felt or the like, but occasions considerableexpenses and exhibits a structural rigidity'similar to the rstmentionedvmethod, making changes diiiicult and costly.

It is the main and principal object of my invention to produce astructure of this character which is simple in design, inexpensive,v invinstallation, of utmost exibilityfand which combines all the advantagesof prior structures While avoiding their faults. Ifemployed foracousticpurposes, vthe sound correcting' qualities of certain vembodiments of myinvention will Ibe, found' to be superior due to providing a structurewhich utilizes the sound dissipating function of the covering slabs tothe fullest extent without resorting to the provision of an intermediatelayer of felt or the like to separate the covering slabs from ythe rigidstructure of the building. f y I provide in one embodiment o f my-invention slabs or plates of soundcorrectingmaterial ,andi equip theseslabs with simple .bracketsC QYl'lg, tongues which projectwfrom oppositesidesof}tlj1ec slabs, .These.tonguesareused'for att y, hing'th'e"covering slabs to -channel shaped "carriers Awhich.` 100 are fastenedAtothe lsteel beams 'or` girde building structure. ,"The Aattachment of't a nel shaped v carrierstoithe girders maybe aoco" plishedby meansoiscrews, thereby providingha v convenient frameworkforA supporting'thejJex-f` 105 teriorly exposed covering' slabs. l The;r tongues' jo'ifjthe `'braunen ofy each caveringislapfwnmn vpyro-j4 ject from'one 'side`of thev Smie' arev fastenedftos a corresponding Vchannel-lsllaped`""ctlirrier',V jvvhile; theA tongues projecting' fromVIV the "other sideof 110 the covering slab are slipped under the adjacent slab andsupported thereby. In other words, there is a framework ofchannel-shaped carriers attached to the girders in parallel relation toeach other, and the covering slabs (which may or may not be made ofsound correcting material) are fastened to these carriers in rowsextending transversally to the framework in such a manner that each slabis attached on one side to a carrier while its otherl side is supportedby the adjacent slab in the corresponding. row. The attachment of slabsat the end of each row is slightly'diiferent as will presently appear.

, will be embedded in this manner in the concrete This-structurerepresents a novel method of constructing a covering for a wall orceiling and simplifies the mounting of the exteriorly exposed coveringmaterial considerably. It is merely necessary to slip a covering slabinto place with the tongues of the brackets'projecting'from one side ofa slab placed under the adjacent slab, and to screw the tonguesprojecting from the opposite side of the covering slab to the nextchannel-shaped carrier. One row of slabs is thus mounted across theentire width of a ceiling or a wall, and the next and successive rowsare mounted in the same manner, until the work is finished and theceiling or wall is covered as desired, presenting a clean and neatappearance.

In another embodiment of the invention I provide strips of suitablesupporting material disposed in parallel and depending from angularsupporting girders on the ceiling or projecting from a wall in case of awall structure. The slabs of covering material are disposed betweenthese strips and fastened thereto by means of suitable double pointednails in a manner which will be described in detail later on.

In a. further embodiment I attach to the slabs of covering materialsimple brackets as in the case mentioned previously, but arrange thesebrackets on an angle, thereby making each slab interchangeable in anyposition in one plane relative to the supporting framework.

I have also provided for using the invention in one embodiment inconjunction with a moulded structure. Specifically, I have shown anembodiment in which the slabs are provided with prongs Vextendinglaterally from bracket members on the slabs.' The ceilingor wall may beformed by supportingthe slabs, equipped with such prongebrackets, on aplatform and by pouring concrete in the rear of the slabs. The prongsand hold the slabs in uniform predetermined position and on apredetermined level corresponding to the mould structure. Variouseffects can be produced by predetermining the formation of the slabs inaccordance with a desired design or pattern. For example,

a'lattice effect may be produced `by arranging covering slabs of desiredsize accordingly. 'I'he slabs may also be mounted in circular formationif desired. These lpossibilities are obvious and need notbe discussed indetail.

that the basic principles involvedin my invention refer fundamentally tothe construction of walls or ceilings, that is to say,

' to the `attachment of exteriorly exposed covering material to astructural framework, regardless' of the function of the coveringmaterial which may be purely decorative or sound correcting. In myinvention, the function `of the covering material is shown to be soundcorrecting and decorative at the same time. 'Ihe broad idea, however,disregards the function of the lcovering slabs entirely;

any suitable material of purely decorative character may be attached towalls or to ceilings by following the principles of my invention.Likewise, the term-wall-as used in this specification is intended tocover broadly the structure of a wall or a ceiling as well as astructure resembling a wall, such as a partition, for example.

I have briefly enumerated below the various outstanding objects andfeatures of my invention so that the detaileddescription and the claimsmay be readily understood and appreciated.

One object of the invention is concerned with the application ofexteriorly exposed covering material to a wall or ceiling comprising asupporting framework, andy cover plates disposed on said framework inrows transversal to said framework.

-bridging attachment to said carriers in rows transversely thereto, andbracket means on said 'slabs for supporting one side of aslab directlyon a carrier and for supporting its other side in interlockingengagement with an adjacent plate or slab.

A further object has to do with the provision of a cover plate forexterior attachment to a wall, and bracket means for mounting saidplate, said bracket means including members for fastening said bracketto said plate and projecting members for mounting said plate.

Another object refers to the construction of a wall or ceiling and thelike, comprising a structural framework having depending membersdisposed in parallel relation, cover plates for attachment intermediateof said depending members, and means for lateral engagement with saidplates for holding said plates in place relative to said dependingmembers and to said framework.

Still another object relates to cover plates for attachment to a walland the like, and bracket means on each of said plates forinterchangeable attachment thereof in any position of said plates in oneplane.

A further object is concerned with the construction of a walland thelike, comprising cover plates, each provided with prongs for holdingsaid plates yin engagement with a moulded structure.

Still another object has to do with the constructionof walls and thelike, comprising means for supporting a plurality of cover plates orslabs for attachment to a wall or ceiling, and bracket means on eachplate or slab adapted to be embedded in a suitable substance poured inliquid form on said plates or slabs, thereby embedding said bracketmeans therein.

I have enumerated above only the outstanding objects of my invention.There are other objects which will appear as the description progresses.

Now, in order to enable others to reproduce my invention and to applythe same to practical use, I will describe the invention in detail withreference to the accompanying .drawings in 1 0 which: 4

Figure 1 represents a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view of my novelVconstruction of a ceiling;

Figure 2 shows part of a slab of sound correcting -145 covering materialfor attachment to the ceiling;

Figure 3 illustrates the function of the brackets attached to eachcoveringslab, and the relation to the other like brackets of adjacentcovering slabs as viewed from above, that is, as viewed 150 ioo from thechannel-shaped carriers which support the covering slabs;

Figure 4 is a section of the arrangement shown in Figure 3, taken online .4 4 of that figure;

Figure 5 is a detail, illustrating particularly the screw attachment ofthe projecting tongues of the brackets;

Figure 6 shows the manner of fastening the channel-shaped supportingcarriers to the girders of a ceiling structure;

Figure 7 is particularly intended to illustrate the manner of attachinga covering slab at the end of a row of such slabs and in the cornerwhere the ceiling meets the wall of the room;

Figure 8 represents one example of a structure for mounting on a slab orslabs of different size;

Figure 9 shows an embodiment in which the cover slabs are attached bymeans of double pointed nails;

Figure 10 represents a nail to be used in conjunction with theembodiment shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 illustrates a modification, which may be adopted ,inconnection with the embodiment shown in previous figures, of cover slabshaving brackets attached thereto at an angle so as to make the coverslabs interchangeable in any position in one plane; and

Figure 12 shows the embodiment of a cover slab provided for attachmentby means of moulding.

Referring now particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that I haveprovided a number of channelshaped carriers l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,each of which is attached to the ceiling structure. The channel-shapedcarriers may be attached to the ceiling structure for example in amanner as is particularly illustrated in Figure 6. As shown in thisgure, attached to the girders such as 9 and 10 may be bars such as thebar 11, the attachment being made by means of bolts and screws asindicated by numerals 12 and 13. Each bar such as 11 serves to support achannel-shaped carrier such as the one indicated in Figure 6 by thereference numeral 14.

Now again referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that the channel-shapedcarriers 1 to 8, inclusive, are separated from each other' bypredetermined distances corresponding to the shape and size of thecovering slabs such as indicated by the numeral 15.4 I have shown tworows 16 and 17 completed across the width of the room with the exceptionof a space inthe right hand corner of the room. 'I'he row designated bythe reference numeral 18, however, is shown to be completed only up tothe channel-shaped carrier designated by numeral 5. Before continuingthe decription of the attachment of the slabs, the structure of a slabprovided with a bracket for fastening the same to the channel-shapedsupporting member will be described in detail.

Referring now particularly to Figure 2, this figure shows a portion of acovering slab such as the one indicated in Figure 1 by the numeral 15.Attached to the lower `side of the Aslab are two brackets or fasteningmembers. The ends of each' of the fastening members are slitlongitudinally, thereby providing at each end a member for attaching thebracket to the slab and a tongue which projects laterally from the slab.

This is shown in Figure 2. The slab 19 showny in this figure, or ratherto's'ay. the portion of the slab 19 which is illustrated in this flgureshows that a supporting member or bracket 20 ls attached to the lowerside of the slab 19. 'I'he end of the supporting member 20 is slit,providing a projecting tongue 21 and a' tongue 22 for attachment to theslab 19. The attachment of the tongue 22 to the slab is by means of anail such as 23. 'Ihe projecting tongue 21 is provided with a hole 24which serves for fastening the slab to a corresponding channel-shapedcarrier as shown in Figure 1. It is, of course, understood that theAother side of the bracket memberrv20, shown in Figure 2, iscorrespondingly shaped, that is to say it provides a projecting tongueon the other side of the slab 19 and also a fastening tongue such as 2,2for attaching the other side of the member 20 to the slab 19. There isonly part of the slab 19 shown in Figure 2. There are in reality twosuch brackets as 20 attached to a slab.

Now referring to Figure 3, the attachment of the individual coveringslabs to the channelshaped carriers will be, more particularlyexplained. The view shown in Figure 3 is taken from above, that is tosay, from that side of the slabs which are in engagement with thechannelshaped carriers. It will be seen that there are three slabs shownin Figure 3 and designated by the reference numerals 25, 26 and 27. Thecovering slab 25 is provided with two brackets designated by numerals 28and 29; the central slab is provided with brackets designated bynumerals 30 and 31; and the slab 27 is provided with two bracketsdesignated by the numerals 32 and 33. The end of each bracket is slitand attached to the correspondingcovering slab as particularly discussedin connection with Figure 2. For example, referring particularly to thebracket designated by the reference numeral 30, which is attached to theslab 26 in Figure 3, it will be seen that the tongues 34 and 35 of thebracket 30 project laterally from the slab 26, while the end membersadjacent to the tongues 34 and 35 have been utilized for fastening thebracket 30 to the slab 26 by means of the nails such as 37 and 38. 'Iheattachment of each of the brackets to the corresponding slab is similar.It will also be seen that the brackets are attached to the correspondingslabs slightly offset fromv the center. 'I'he offset arrangement of -thebracketsv relative to the individual slab-s permits convenient assemblyofa plurality of slabs in one row, the brackets of one slab beingarranged so as not to interfere with the brackets of the adjacent slabs,

and also provides for interchangeability of the individual slab. Forexample, the slab 26, if

turned about by 180 degrees, may be used in place of the slabs 25 or2'?. 'Ihis is an important of the slab 25 which is shown in Figure 3 isfastened directly to the channel-shaped carrier 41. The adjacent slab 26lis now pushed in place by slipping the projecting tongues 34 and 42under the slab 25. No fastening of these tongues 34 and 42 of the slab26 is necessary, as this side of the slab 26 will be suflicientlysupported by the tongues 34 and 42 which are slipped under 145 the slab25. `The other side of the slab 26 is lfastened to the channel-shapedcarrier 41A by directly attaching the vtongues 35 and 44 to the 'carrier41A by means of screws 45 and 46. vThe next slab27 is put in place byslipping the tongues 150 47 and 48 of the brackets 32 and 33 under theslab 26 while the tongues projecting from the other side of the slab 27are again fastened to the next channel-shaped carrier of the supportingstructure.

' The above described manner of attachment will be better understood byreferring to the cross-section taken on line 4--4 of Figure 3 as shownin Figure 4. It will be seen that the slab 25 is equipped with a bracketmember 29, the tongue 39 of the same projecting laterally from the slab25. This tongue is attached to the channelshaped carrier 41 by means ofthe screw 43. The slab 25 is equipped with a companion bracket similarto the one shown at 29, the projecting tongue of which is also attachedto the channel-shaped carrier 4l` as is particularly shown in Figure 3.The carrier 41 is shown fastened to the supporting structure by means ofscrews such asA 50 and 51. It will be understood, of course, that thearrangement shown in Figure 6 may also be used if desired. The coveringslab 26 is also equipped with two brackets as is particularly shown inFigure 3. The tongues of the brackets projecting from the left side ofthe slab 26 as viewed in Figure 4 are slipped under the slab 25 in amanner illustrated in Figure 3, lthus holding this side of the slab 26inplace. The tongues projecting from the bracket 26 to the right side ofthe same are attached to the channel-shaped carrier 41A as is shown inFigure 3. The carrier itself is again mounted by means of screws such as52 and 53. The slab 27 is put into place by slipping the projectingtongues such as 48 under the slab 26 as shown.

It will at once be seen that the manner of a taching the individual slaband thus forming a covering structure has considerable advantage overwhat is known in the art. The covering slabs are standardized, or theymay be cut in shapes and sizes to conform to a denitely desired patternor design and are mounted in a very simple manner. The mounting of thecovering slabs can be' accomplished very neatly and rapidly since allthat is necessary is to slip a covering slab into place and to attachthe free side of the same toa carrying framework, a process which isextremely simple, eliminating all guesswork and expert attention, and atthe same time renders neat work and secure mounting of the 'structure.

In Figure 7 is shown the manner of completing a row of slabs in thecorner, for example, in the right hand corner shown in Figure 1.- Thislastslab which is designated in Figure 7 by the reference numeral 56 mayeither be of the same size as the-preceding slabs or may be of an oddsize, depending upon the total width or length of the room andthedesired ceiling pattern. The channel-shaped carriers 7 and 8 shown inFigure 7 may correspond to the carriers 7 and 8 shown in Figure 1. Theattachment' of the intermediate covering slabs such as 54 and 55 hasbeen discussed previously so that the further discussion of Figure 7 maybe limited to the attachment of the end slab 56. This slab lis put inplace against a strip of angle iron designated by reference numeral 57.This angle iron may bq attached to the wall in some convenient manner.The slab is put into place against the strip 57 and its lower side isheld in place by a strip such as 58 fastened to the wall in a similarmanner as the strip 57. A tie nail such as 59 may4 be employed forfastening the end slabs such as 56 to the preceding slabs such as 55in'each row.

I have shown a tie nail for convenience sake. It is of course understoodthat the end slabs such as 56 may be provided each with brackets havingprojecting tongues corresponding to the projecting tongues such as 47and 48 in Figure 3 for slipping the same under the preceding slabs andthus holding them from displacement.

In Figure 5 is shown a detail, namely, the manner of attaching theprojecting tongues to the channel-shapedv carriers by means of screws.

This figure will be readily understood with the' foregoing discussion inmind. Numeral 60 in Figure 5 designates the lower part of achannelshaped carrier; numeral 61 represents a projecting tongue of oneof the brackets attached'to one of the covering slabs and numeral 62shows a screw which is drawn through the hole in the projecting tongue61 and screwed into the channel-shaped member 60. Threaded holes may beprovided in the channel-shaped carriers in advanceof mounting the slabs.However, it will be more convenient and more practical to put each slabseparately into place and after the same is put in place to bore a holeaccording to the location of the projecting tongue where the attachmentfor these tongues are needed. This can be done conveniently and rapidlywith a covering slabs 'of suitable size. If this is the` case, it willbe necessary to provide only one channel-shapedv carrier such as the oneindicated in Figure 8 by the numeral 63. This channel-shaped carrier 63may be attached to the structure of the ceiling in the usual manner byscrews such as 64 and 65. An angular member 66 is mounted on one side onthe wall anda similar angular member 67 is mounted on the other wall foraligning the covering slab 68 similarly as was discussed in connectionwith the slab 56 shown in Figure 7. Angular members 69 and 70 aremounted on the opposite walls in order to locate the covering slab 68`in position. A bracket such as 71 may be mounted on the covering slab68 by bending projecting tongues such as 72 and 73 and fastening thesetongues by means of nails to the covering slab 68, rmly attaching thebracket member 71 thereto. This bracket member 71 is then fastened tothe channel-shaped carrier .63 by means of screws such as 74.

Now, referring particularly to Figure 9, I have I The strucshown. Astrip 77 is interposed between the carriers 75 and 76. The strip 77depends from the carriers as shown in the drawings (Figure 9) landserves the purpose of receiving and of holding the co'ver plates such asindicated by the refer- 'ence numerals 78 and 79. It will be understood,

vFigure 11.

of course, that there are several pairs of supporting members such asand 76 disposed in parallel relation, providing the structural frameworkfor the attachment of the cover plates. Eachpair of carriers holds astrip such as 77. The cover plates are fastened to the structuralframework intermediate of the strips extending in parallel relationrelative to each other along the wall or theceiling. The cover platesare cut to suitable size. No brackets need to be provided on the coverplates. The attachment is made by means of double-pointed nails such asand 81.

The double-pointed nail is shown in Figure 10. It will be seen that thenail is provided with a ycenter flange 82. A suitable hollow tool may beused for driving such a nail into the corresponding cover plate in theposition shown in Figure 9. The strip such as 77 may be provided with aseries of holes such as indicated by the reference numerals 83 and 84.The attachment of the cover plate is simply achieved by driving thenails such as 80 and 81 through holes in the strip 77, thereby fasteningthe cover plate 78 on one side thereof. The nails 80 and 81 now extendfrom the stripr 77 as is shown in the drawings (Figure 9)., The nextcover plate or slab such as 79 is now attached by driving the same inthe direction shown by the arrow, toward the assembly on the left sideof Figure 9, whereby the extending portions of the nails 80 and 81 willbe driven into the cover plate 79 and hold the same on its left side.Its other side will be attached in the same manner as the right side ofplate 78. If it is desired, the spaces between adjacent cover plates maybe covered by plaster in order to conceal the edges of the strips suchas 77.

In Figure 11 I have shown two cover plates and 86. The cover plate 85 isprovided with two brackets 87 and 88. These brackets may conform ingeneral to the shape of the brackets discussed previously in connectionwith Figures 1 to 8 inclusive. It will be recalled that the bracketsshown in connection with the previously discussed figures are attachedto the corresponding slabs slightly offset from the center. This offsetarrangement of the brackets relative to the individual slab permitsconvenient assembly of a plurality of slabs in one row, since thebrackets on each slab are arranged so as not to interfere with thebrackets of the adjacent slabs and also to provide forinterchangeability of the individual slabs. The interchangeability ofthe slabs as previously shown, is limited, that is to say, the slabs'are interchangeable if held in a certain position in one plane. AThisarrangement as previously discussed in detail may suflice for ordinarypurposes. However, if vit is desired to make the slabs interchangeablein any position, in one plane, the arrangement may be adopted which isshown in The brackets such as 87 and 88 are fastened to thecorresponding slab 85 on an angle. It will be understood, of course,that the brackets on the other slabs are fastened to the correspondingslabs in the same manner. This is shown in the case of the adjacent slab86 which is partly broken away and illustrates the attachment of the twobrackets 89 and 90, which are attached in the same manner to the slab 86as the brackets 87 and 88 are attached to slab 85. When the brackets areattached in the mannerdiscussed iabove, the slabs will beinterchangeable in any It will be recalled that one of the objects of myinvention is concerned with a construction `using cover slabs which areattached to an underlying structure by means of moulding. 'Ihe coverslab shown in Figure 12 and designated by the numeral 91 is for thispurpose provided with two brackets 92 and 93. Each of these brackets 92and 93 is provided with an angularly extending tongue such as 94 and 95,respectively, for attachment to the cover slab 91 by means of nails suchas 96 and 97, respectively. These tongues are attached on the cover slab91 in countersunk portions thereof, as shown. This countersunkattachmentis 'provided in order to achieve a close attachmentof adjacent slabs.Each of the brackets 92 and 93 is also provided with extensions such as98-99 land 100-101, respectively, which project transversally from thecover plate 91. The end of each of these projections is formed intoprongs. 102-103, and the projection 99 has prongs 104-105. Theprojections 100 and 101 of the bracket 93 are provided with similarlaterally extending prongs.

Now, when it is desired to construct a wall or a ceiling of cover platessuch as the one shown in Figure 112, aplatform will be provided forsupportingthe slabs such as 91 in predetermined positions in a certainplane. Concrete is then poured in back of the slabs which are arrangedon the platform, and the concrete will lll the intervening space betweenthe underlying structure and the back of the cover plate, thereby ern-Thus, the projection 98 has prongs 'bracket attached. to the coverplates. After the concrete mixture or other suitable binding materialwhich is employed, is dry, the platform may be removed.

It will be seen from the foregoing discussionthat the. inventiondisclosed in this case presents a variety of distinguishing features. Itpresents, in the first place, a novel construction of a ceiling whichmay be extended to constructions of walls as well. Although I haveshownthe covering slabs to be made of wood fibres and having thefunction of correcting the acoustics of a room, the invention is notlimited to the use of any specic type of covering material as,obviously, any type of covering material regardless of its function maybe employed. In the present case the function correcting. .In thisconnection, the invention is of particular value since it increases theeffect of the sound dissipating and sound correcting qualities of thecovering slabs. The intervening space between the covering slabs and theunderlying structure, as provided for in certain embodiments of theinvention, serves as a sound insulating chamber. The use of a specialmaterial such as felt for supporting the sound correcting slabs so thatthey retain their full effect is superuous. The slabs may be mountedvery rapidly and accurately in place, furnishing a. neat work with theleast expenditure of time and cost. Any desired design or pattern may beaccomplished by using my invention.

It will be understood that several modifications I claim as myinvention:

1. In a sound correcting ceiling structure, a structural supportingframework. comprising a plurality of supporting members, soundcorrecting cover plates for attachment to said framework in rowsextending transversely thereto, spaced metallic brackets disposed in theplane of said cover plates adjacent said supporting members securedto-said plates and projecting from one side thereof for interlockingengagement with preceding plates in a row to suspend said plates fromsaid preceding plates, said brackets projecting from the other sidethereof for direct attachment to said framework.

2. In the lconstruction of a ceiling having a framework comprising aplurality of supporting members disposed in parallel relation to eachother, covering plates for exterior attachment to said members, andspaced interchangeable metallic brackets extending beyond opposite sidesof and secured to said plates for supporting one side thereof inslidably interlocking relation by adjacent plates and for directlyfastening the other side thereof to said supporting members.

3. A plate of decorative and sound correcting material for exteriorattachment to a structure provided with a framework for supporting aplurality of plates, a metallic mounting bracket for said plate, meanscarried by said bracket for attachment thereof to the bottom of saidplate, and

tongues on said bracket extending in the plane of said slabs,cooperating with said supportingv members for attaching said slabsthereto to proa' vide a covering for said wall, adjacent slabs in a rowbeing reversed through an angle of 180 degrees in the plane of saidslabs.

5. Covering material for exterior attachment to a structure comprising aslab of predetermined size and shape, a mounting bracket for said slab,means on said bracket engaging the sides of said slab for attachmentthereof to the bottom of said slab, said bracket projecting beyond thesides of said slab in the bottom plane thereof for mounting said slab.

6. A plate of decorative and sound correcting material for exteriorattachment to a structure provided with a framework for supporting aplurality of plates, a mounting bracket for said plate, means on saidbracket engaging the sides of said plate for attachment thereof to thebottom of said plate, and tongues on said bracket extending in thebottom plane of said plate and projecting therefrom on opposite sidesthereof for fastening said plate to said framework.

7. A building unit comprising a substantially rectangular cover slab, aplurality of attaching brackets secured to the bottom and extendingbeyond the opposite sides of said slab, said brackets being arranged inspaced substantially parallel relation and at an angle to the centerline of said slab extending in thel general direction of said brackets.

8. Covering material for exterior attachment comprising a plate of soundcorrecting material, spaced metallic mounting brackets disposed upon aface of said plate, attaching tongues struck from said brackets adaptedto secure said brackets to said plates, said brackets extending beyondopposite sides of said plates for the purpose set

